This may be the last Christmas tree in the river post. We are gone tomorrow and will likely miss the melt. I took this photo this morning just as the sun was coming up. It was -10c so there is not to much melt. The camera, Sandie's Panasonic FZ18 which we will take with us. Au Revoir Bill

After finding this photo when checking my cameras I am now starting to get a little excited. I love to fly and as well finding this photo in my camera is a reminder for me to have my camera ready. I took this photo of Mount Baker moments after take off from Abbotsford on a flight to Montreal in September. Sandy and I are flying to France on Wednesday to visit with our daughter Ann. It is now time to pack the bags and try and decide what to take. So far I am planing to take this camera, my Sigma Dp1 and a Panasonic G1 with an extra lens. Bill

Christmas tree update, not much has changed, the weather has been cold and there is more ice. The tree is not going anywhere soon but we are. This time next week we will be on our way to France. I hear it is snowing there too. As you can see Bob is still in the picture, both of us are looking forward to better light. The camera is the Panasonic G1 which I am practising with for our up coming trip. Bill

It is still cold, -20c this morning but that did not stop Bob the beaver from taking his morning swim. If you are a past reader of my blog you will know I have a beaver friend who I have named Bob. Last Fall he was a very busy beaver by increasing my view. I know he has had help as I have seen two beavers at one time. He surprised me this morning but I did have a Panasonic G1 and a Leica 14-150 lens with me as I was enjoying my breakfast. If you look back far enough in my blog you will see he has posed with a Christmas tree before. Bill

Here is a photo of our Christmas tree where we found it near the top of the hill. Our daughter Ann, who was home for Christmas from France, felt that being Canadian should mean we go and catch our own tree and not pick one up at the corner store. So we set off with our new snow tires and found ourselves on the top of Hardy Mountain looking for our tree. As you can see a tree covered in snow in the wild can appear different. Not everyone thought we made the best choice but we will do better next year. We sighted just the perfect tree on the way home. Bill

Christmas tree update. I don't think the tree is going anywhere soon as the temperature dropped too -20c this morning. looks like a neighbour has been nibbling on the branches. There is a story that goes with this years tree. The tree really belongs on top of the hill that you see in the back ground. I will tell the rest of the story in my next post. This photo was taken with our trusty Panasonic Fz18. Stay tuned Bill

It is that time of the year again when I get to plant the Christmas tree on the ice. I thought I was late this year but checking back in the blog to January 28th 2008 I found that I am earlier than last year. It wasn't long before the neighbours decided to check it out. I know it has been a long time for me between posts. I hope to change that with longer day light and more photo opportunities. We are also planning a trip to France next month so we will be field testing cameras including the Panasonic G1 that I used to take these photos. The close up is with the Panasonic 45-200 lens the wide photo with the 14-45. Check back for more, it is cold here so I don't think the tree is going anywhere soon. Bill

This is some thing I have wanted to try for a long time, a panorama photo of the view from our deck. Today with the river frozen and the long shadows it was and ideal time to try. I took 4 photos vertical with my Sigma Dp1 and stitched them together in a program called Autostitch. It was very easy to do and I will do more as the ice melts. Click on the photo to see it larger. The mark out on the ice is a hole I cut for the wildlife. And just a reminder the Sigma Dp1 is now priced at 650.00 Canadian. www.contactphotoarts.com Bill Wilby

Here is a photo that I have re-posted. I made this photo to promote my Sigma Dp1 sales in the Spring. It is soon to be a new year and with that some new prices. There will be price increases from some suppliers this year, something we are not used to in this industry. There is also some price decreases. The Dp1 was introduced and sold for a cost of 849.95 in the Spring of 2008. Now it is available for the cost of 650.00 Canadian dollars. This is about 530.00 U.S. We have added a products and price page to our web site to make it easier to find what cameras we have available for on-line sales. I have been very busy this Fall mailing the Panasonic G1 and the Panasonic 45-200 lens to customers from Alaska to California to New York and to Texas. I also sent a blue one to Ottawa in the east Fort Providence NT in the North and Langley in the west. These customers have contacted me by e-mail and phone. I hope our new page will make contacting us easier. There is still no shopping cart because it is important for me to maintain a personal contact with my customers.
In the Spring I sold many Dp1s across Canada but none to the U.S. I have discovered with selling the G1 this Fall it is very easy for me to sell to the U.S. I can drive to a U.S. post office in about 15 minutes. When I look out the window of my store I can see across the border between Canada and the United States. Our web site is www.contactphotoarts.com I also wanted to post this photo again that I titled DP1 still life, it reminds me of Christmas. I hope you have a happy new year. Bill Wilby

Just a quick update on how the logging show is going. While washing the dishes a few days ago, I have lost track of days, and looking out the window, the tree fell before my eyes. It has not taken long for the clean up, I can hear them chomping and dragging the timber during the night. I can see them too if the noon is out and I have thought of a flash photo, but that might end our friendship. They are working on another tree further up river, far enough away it should not effect my sleep. Bill P.S. the camera Sandra's Panasonic Fz 18

Just a few moments to have a little fun. Received more 4/3 adapters today for the Panasonic G1. My friend Henry has lent me his Olympus 50 mm macro lens to try. Here is a quick photo of my beaver friend Bob, to show how close it will manual focus. Auto focus will not work with this lens but the magnifier works very well. Bill

Update, I will have more 45-200 lenses and 4/3 adapters on Friday Dec, 5th as well as extra batteries for the G1.
Panasonic G1, there is certainly a lot of interest in this new camera and the change it represents with digital cameras. Because of having the stock I have been shipping cameras, lenses and 4/3 adapters. If you are one of the many people not able to find the right colour camera or the 45-200 lens, I have stock. To order from our store www.contactphotoarts.com please check our contact info on the site and send me an e-mail, or call. I ship across Canada and to the U.S. through a U.S. post office near by. Please note our store front is closed Mondays, I do check my e-mail and I do ship to the U.S. on Mondays. Bill Wilby

You may know about my friend Bob the beaver. I haven't seen him for awhile but I can hear him working at night. There has been more than one night lately that I can remember waking to the sound of a tree falling. We have an arrangement that works for both of us. He needs a winter supply of food and I am looking forward to a 180 degree view of the river. Look for that panorama view soon, just one more tree to fall. This photo taken with my Sigma Dp1 Bill

It is always fun to have something new before anyone else. This is the new 45-200 lens on the Panasonic G1. I won't have time to try this lens until I get more stock, it seems I can sell this new camera system just as fast I can get them. What is really exciting, this lens is 4 inches long and gives the same magnification as a 400 mm lens on a 35mm film camera, and it is stabilized too. I will post some photos tomorrow if the sun comes out and before I ship stock. Bill P.S. check out our site www.contactphotoarts.com for contact info.

The Panasonic G1's are now here, I am busy charging a battery and packaging the first ones to go out in the mail. I thought I was short shipped until I realized they are shipping two in a box to dealers. Just a reminder this is a small camera. How small, you really have to hold one in your hand to get the feel of how small it is. I have seen some very good comparisons on line for its size but until I held it in my hand, I really did not know. The next step of course is to use it and then see. It feels that I have missed a few weeks with the flu, but it has only been a few days, I am looking forward to using this camera and the new Pentax KM over this coming long weekend. That is if I have any left. Bill Wilby

The new Pentax Km has arrived. This is very exciting and I am looking forward to getting to know this camera. I took this photo very quickly just because I wanted to show it off today. I think size and weight will be some of the things people will take into consideration in deciding if they would this camera to their Pentax collection. I will write an article and do more comparing when I have more time. Bill

Today is a big day in my world, I was just able to order the new Panasonic G1 camera. I may have stock on Friday. There have been many new cameras announced this Fall, but not one that represents a new system the way the G1 does. Small with interchangeable lens this camera has received much attention. I can't wait to get my hands on one, and I am sure many of my customers feel the same way. I will publish my first impression in a article next week on our we-site. Bill note it comes in red and blue too For more info www.contactphotoarts.com

What a beautiful morning. This is my view while sipping my morning cup of coffee. With a morning such as this I can't help but think how lucky I am to be able to live in location with this incredible beauty. I do share this location with a couple of beavers though, and their idea of a beautifully tree may be different than mine. I have been awakened the last few nights with the sound of falling trees as the beavers are preparing for winter. Luckily I think there are enough trees for both me and the beavers to enjoy the beauty. This photo was taken with my Sigma SD14 and a 17 to 70 lens. BIll

Gate Fever is now posted, this is Nik Green's latest film shot with the Nikon D90. Please see earlier post for details. Here is the link to the film, and we do have stock of this exciting new SLR from Nikon. BIll

Choice & distance- a literary focus on photography by Leif Einarson, is a new article published on our web site. I have very much enjoyed reading this article for at least two reasons, first some of the ideas expressed by Leif have lodged themselves in my mind and surface often giving me a new perception of my photography. Secondly my vision of our site becoming a place for people to share their thoughts, wisdom and photographs contained in articles for mutual enjoyment has now become a reality. I hope Leif's article will not only nurture other people's creativity but will also inspire others to publish articles. If you would like to consider doing this yourself please read my article entitled " How to create and publish an article". Bill Wilby